ETH-Whitepaper «Net Zero by 2030»

Office of the President
ETH Zurich strives
for Net Zero by 2030
Climate change requires rapid and determined action.
ETH Zurich set the goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2030.
This document lays out what climate neutrality means for the University and how it
aims to achieve that goal. The ETH Community is invited to help determine the path
and the speed of this task as a joint responsibility.
White Paper, September 2022

What does Net Zero by 2030 mean? Net Zero by 2030
3
What does Net Zero by 2030 mean?
And how is ETH Zurich dealing with
this target?
As a leading university of science and technology, ETH Zurich is determined to make a critical
contribution towards ensuring that the volume of greenhouse gas emissions does not exceed
the amount that can be extracted from the atmosphere. To this end, social and technological
developments as well as economic and political incentives will be pursued even more vigorously.
«ETH Zurich strives for Net Zero by 2030.» White Paper, September 2022.
When Switzerland signed the Paris Agreement on climate change
in 2015, it committed itself together with many other countries to
take action for stabilising global warming at 1.5 degree celcius
above preindustrial levels. To achieve this goal, greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions must rapidly decline to the point where overall,
new GHGs are no longer emitted to the atmosphere. Net Zero
means that any GHGs that are emitted can be absorbed through
human-made carbon sinks like afforestations, managed forests
and soils, or can be extracted again from the atmosphere using
other negative emission technologies.
By embedding the Net Zero goal in its Strategy and Development
Plan 2021–2024, i ETH Zurich has positioned itself as a trailblazer
in decarbonization. To achieve this goal, it utilises its scientific
expertise in areas of relevance to society, intensifies research
activities as well as technology and knowledge transfer, fosters
talent recruitment, and addresses the management of combined
crises – including climate, biodiversity, energy, and food – in the
training of its students.
ETH Zurich has set itself the goal of achieving Net Zero in its own
operations by 2030. The target is to reduce its GHG emissions by
at least 50 percent compared to the benchmark year 2006. As
such, ETH Zurich complies with the requirements stipulated in
the «Federal Administration's climate package». ii To achieve this
target, ETH Zurich relies on 1) reduction of GHG emissions, 2) replacing
technologies causing GHG emissions and enhancing their
efficiency, and 3) innovations in the domain of negative emission
technologies. Emissions that cannot yet be avoided by current
means are compensated for the time being. The combination of
reduction, replacement, and efficiency gains as well as negative
emission technologies developed and advanced by ETH Zurich
will allow the University to phase out of compensating emissions
after 2030.
ETH Zurich wants to achieve the Net Zero goal with its own capacities.
It is conscious of the profundity of the transformation
that this will require: It assesses the costs and risks of inaction
as high. At the same time, it acknowledges that the joint effort
to achieve Net Zero by 2030 will create many opportunities for
social and technological innovations in its operations and for developing
solutions to foster climate-friendly science, economy,
and society. •
This document is based on the internal white paper «ETH Net Zero», which was produced between February and June 2021 by a working
group from all areas of ETH Zurich. It brought together 20 ETH members from the areas of research, teaching, student body, operations,
finance, commissions, administrative units, and personnel and organisational development. This document is a shortened version and
has been revised and updated with support from the Office of the President, Campus Services and the Corporate Communications unit.
Cover picture: The solar mini-refinery on an ETH building produces CO2-neutral fuels from sunlight and air
Editor: Office of the President | ETH Zurich
Coordination: ETH Sustainability | ETH Zurich
Layout: Campus Services | ETH Zurich
Print:
Print & Publish | ETH Zurich
Copies: 200
© ETH Zurich, September 2022
Greenhouse gas emissions
2006 2020 2030
Real emissions
Net Zero reduction path
(in relation to year 2006)
NET ZERO
Saved
emissions
(in relation
to non-action)
Year
Negative emissions
Figure 1: Reduction path over time
showing actual and negative emissions
in the framework of ETH Net Zero.
ETH Zurich has options for reduction
measures that can be implemented
rapidly, allowing the University to
considerably reduce its GHG emissions
by 2030 compared to the benchmark
year 2006. Tackling easily implementable
emissions reductions is a high
priority for ETH Zurich.
However, reductions alone will not suffice
to achieve Net Zero. Technological
measures in the field of negative emission
technologies will also be required.
ETH Zurich is working on new negative
emission technologies that should be
increasingly ready for deployment
from 2030 onwards.
Therefore, remaining emissions are
being compensated for the time
being. The aim is to enable ETH Zurich
to operate without compensations
after 2030.

4 Hallmarks of climate neutrality at ETH Zurich Net Zero by 2030 Creating transparency Net Zero by 2030
5
Hallmarks of climate neutrality at ETH Zurich
In order to reduce its emissions to Net Zero, ETH Zurich primarily focuses on the emissions caused
by its own operations. However, in the coming years, an emphasis will be placed on reducing indirect
emissions caused by power purchases and by externally sourced services such as construction,
procurement of hardware, travel, laboratory practices, or financial investments. No concrete intermediate
goals have been formulated yet, and measures are still being developed. In this area,
the innovative spirit and engagement of the entire ETH Community will be needed.
ETH Zurich has already achieved significant success in reducing
emissions from its energy supply. For example, the investments
made so far in the anergy grid at Hönggerberg halved the demand
for fossil fuels. With the expansion of the geothermal probe field,
ETH Zurich becomes even less dependent on oil and gas. Nevertheless,
considerable emissions continue to be caused by construction
activity, energy consumption, provision of infrastructure,
procurement of laboratory equipment, devices, machines, tools,
and ICT components, as well as business travel, commuting, and
catering.
The University is creating the conditions for achieving the Net
Zero goal with a three-pronged approach.
1. Behaviour: ETH Zurich eliminates GHG-intensive processes
and structures through emissions reduction.
2. Technology: ETH Zurich improves the efficiency of
processes and structures by technical means and is
switching to processes that are less GHG intensive.
3. Innovation: Negative emission technologies, especially
for carbon storage, are used to capture near-unavoidable
residual emissions.
courses will be expanded from 2023 to include a CAS in Climate
Innovation. ETH spin-offs showcase high-profile technological developments
and entrepreneurial success stories. iv The ETH Campus
itself offers a great opportunity for «living labs» to test and
realise advanced approaches in the areas of data collection, new
technologies or incentives for behavioural changes.
C) Financial investments
Asset management at ETH Zurich follows a structured cash-flow
approach. The University is supported in assessing the sustain -
ability of its investments by sustainability analysis and reporting
provided by the Global Custodian. In addition to strictly financial
criteria, these reports take into account environmental, societal,
and governance criteria.
With modern financial and controlling instruments and promising
new financial products, the portfolio can be developed even more
consistently to include only strictly sustainable investments.
Setting up a dedicated ETH climate fund would create interesting
possibilities. Moreover, a goal of the ETH Foundation is to invest
all of its assets sustainably.
Examples: Business travel, sustainable campus, and catering
Behavioural changes are an important component of the path
towards ETH Net Zero. The University has gathered experience
in various activities over the past years and has engaged in
national and international networks.
› Business travel: ETH Zurich played a leading role in
launching the Roundtable of Sustainable Academic Travel
in 2018, designed to reduce emissions caused by business
travel; in 2019, it was a key participant in the foundation of
the Swiss Network for Sustainable University Business
Travel. Moreover, the ETH air travel project «Stay grounded,
keep connected» involves more than 70 partners in
other universities and industry. Already before the
coronavirus pandemic, ETH Community members had
committed themselves to reducing air travel by at least
15 percent by 2025. Moreover, this behavioural change is
supported by discussions within and between organisational
units, by decision-making aids for business travel, by
CO 2
calculators and by adapting rules about travel
expenses and other regulations. v
› Sustainable Campus: Since 2006, ETH Zurich has been
collaborating with other universities in the framework of
the International Alliance of Research Universities vi and
the International Sustainable Campus Network vii . These
partnerships have produced a set of guidelines for sustainability
on campus. Applied in practice to local conditions,
their real-life expression can be seen, for example, in the
developments at ETH Hönggerberg and ETH Zentrum. viii
› Sustainable gastronomy: Another area in which ETH Zurich
has had a long-standing engagement with student and staff
consumers as well as with its catering partners is that of
climate- and resource-saving food service offerings. The
Climate Programme for catering, which emerged from a
student initiative and living lab research project dating back
to 2013, was created in 2018. It was updated in 2022 that
includes expanded sustainability goals considering also
social, ethical, and health aspects. As a rule, the vegetarian
option is always the most affordable one. ix
Creating transparency: How ETH Zurich
measures and verifies its emissions
Climate change is a challenge for the whole of society. Accordingly,
ETH Zurich continues to share actively its expertise with
political, corporate, and societal stakeholders.
On its path to climate neutrality iii , the University will be focusing
particularly on measures in the following areas.
A) Buildings, infrastructure, ICT, and procurement
Efforts are concentrated around the ETH Campus, operations,
and the behaviour of all ETH Community members. The GHG
footprint is reduced in the areas of buildings (heating, cooling,
electricity), commuting, campus mobility, business trips (including
air travel), catering, procurement, and information and communication
technologies. Clearly formulated federal requirements
and awareness campaigns support the pursuit of the Net Zero
activities in all areas of operations.
B) Teaching, research, and knowledge transfer
Many ETH researchers are working hard to develop solutions for
managing combined crises. Regarding climate issues, they support
the consistent implementation of a reduction path in their teaching,
research, and knowledge transfer. For example, the range of
The Foundation regularly establishes whether new, sustainable
investment solutions are being offered in the defined asset pool
and replaces products that are not yet sustainable on an ongoing
basis. •
Adaptive solar facade on the House of Natural Resources
© ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella
To achieve its goal of becoming a climate-neutral university, ETH Zurich monitors and reports
on its progress. In this process, all GHG emissions are taken into consideration in accordance with
the Greenhouse Gas Protocol x and disclosed as CO 2
equivalent emissions. Emissions produced
and controlled by ETH Zurich itself (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) are recorded comprehensively and
com pared against the baseline year of 2006. Scope 3 emissions are listed in an initial GHG
accounting based on data from 2017. By creating this transparency with respect to indirect
emissions, ETH Zurich can take specific groups of goods and related activities into consideration
even more closely in its Net Zero activities.
To create a homogenous and comparable data basis for monitoring
and reporting, ETH Zurich considers emission types in
accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (cf. Figure 4 on
the last page).
Scope 1 emissions arise from sources within the overall ETH operations,
such as University-owned power plants or vehicle fleets.
At ETH Zurich, these mainly relate to gas at Campus Hönggerberg,
oil and coolants, or internal transportation using its own vehicles.
ETH Zurich was able to reduce its oil and gas consumption
for heating and cooling of buildings by about 52 percent between
2006 and 2020 through the commissioning of its Anergy network
at Campus Hönggerberg.
Scope 2 emissions stem from the production of energy purchased
from external providers. This mainly involves electric power and
district heating that ETH Zurich purchases from EWZ and ERZ.
Scope 2 emissions were reduced by about 12 percent between
2006 and 2022, even though student and staff numbers increased
during that period (cf. Figure 2).

6
Creating transparency Net Zero by 2030
Together on the path to Net Zero Net Zero by 2030
7
Scope 3 emissions encompass all remaining emissions that are
not or only partially controlled by ETH Zurich. The University
first calculated its Scope 3 emissions in accordance with the
Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidelines in 2019 in an internal GHG
accounting report based on data from 2017. The total Scope 3
emissions from this first analysis were about 140’000 tCO 2
eq
(±10% uncertainty margin) and were associated with 12 groups of
goods (cf. Figure 3). The groups associated with the largest GHG
emissions were buildings and infrastructure (28’000 tCO 2
eq),
laboratory equipment (24’000 tCO 2
eq), business travel (18’000
tCO 2
eq), and scientific apparatuses, machines, and tools (16’000
tCO 2
eq). These groups together account for about 60 percent of
ETH Zurich’s Scope 3 emissions. The remaining groups each account
for less than 10 percent of Scope 3 emissions.
With a detailed listing and accounting of Scope 3 emissions, ETH
Zurich creates transparency and expands its earlier reporting
on GHG emissions. xi It remains to be determined which groups of
goods should be taken into consideration for defining targets and
measures related to ETH Net Zero. Thanks to its solid data basis,
ETH Zurich will pursue and substantiate emissions in reference
to its Net Zero target in a transparent manner. •
House of Natural Resources at Hönggerberg
Scope 1 and 2 emissions 2006 and 2020 (tCO 2
eq)
20‘000
15‘000
10‘000
Scope 2 tCO 2
eq
Scope 1 tCO 2
eq
5‘000
0
Supply media
Information media
Catering
Commuting
Scope 2
Scope 1
2006 2020
2̦550
13̦025
Other goods and services
Scope 2
Scope 1
2̦237
6̦194
Figure 2: Reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions at ETH Zurich by about
46 percent since 2006 (data base 2020, including vehicle fleet data for 2019).
Scope 3 emissions in 2017 (tCO 2
eq)
Work-related expenses and personnel requirements
Building operations and maintenance
ICT hardware and software
Scientific apparatuses,
machines, and tools
Laboratory
equipment
Real estate and infrastructure
Business travel
0 5‘000 10‘000 15‘000 20‘000 25‘000 30‘000
Figure 3: Results of Scope 3 GHG accounting in 2019 with absolute values, uncertainty
margin ± 10 % (based on 2017 data). Hatched bars are used to distinguish
groups of goods for which a different methodological approach was used.
Together on the path to Net Zero
ETH Zurich is convinced it can achieve its Net Zero target by 2030: Current knowledge, based on research
insights and institutional practice, is sufficient to enable action. Joint engagement on campus benefits
from the University’s collaboration with local, national, and international partners and coalitions of
like-minded individuals. The quest for solutions across professional and sectoral boundaries raises the
chances of success in achieving societal change.
ETH Zurich has set itself the Net Zero target based on its own
convictions and an awareness of the far-reaching consequenc es
of climate change. It is also in line with the mandate of the
legislature as specified in the Federal Council’s «Federal Administration’s
climate package» of 3 July 2019.
Financial prioritisation and investments for a climate-neutral
ETH Zurich will be necessary. For example, ETH Zurich has invested
around 40 million in the anergy grid at Hönggerberg in
the last 10 years.
For ETH Zurich, the target of Net Zero by 2030 is a joint effort
of research and institutional practice. This will also bring a
cultural change at all levels of ETH Zurich. Concrete measures
for a climate-neutral ETH will be designed and implemented
in close cooperation between the Executive Board, the central
administrative units, the departments, the extra-departmental
teaching and research institutes, the centres of competence, and
the students. The exchange with other universities and networks
of higher education institutions (swissuniversities, IARU, ISCN,
IDEA League, etc.) makes it possible to learn from each other.
New projects of the ETH Domain (ETH Zurich, EPFL, PSI, WSL,
Empa, Eawag) in the areas of biodiversity, climate neutrality,
and energy transition provide fertile ground for ambitious and
future-oriented research and action. xii They also offer donors
interesting investment opportunities.
ETH Zurich has enormous potential to fulfil its societal goal:
Students, staff, and alumni are ambassadors and multipliers
who can, with their knowledge, expertise, competence, and constructive
mindset, initiate and disseminate change in society
and the economy.
The effects of climate change are now tangible and palpable. Sustainability
is the central topic of this decade: ETH Zurich aims to
seize this challenge as an opportunity. Its Net Zero target is part
of more comprehensive efforts. The incorporation of Net Zero
and climate protection goals into the constitutions of the City of
Zurich and the Canton of Zurich offers new framework conditions
and opportunities. The corporate and industrial sectors are undertaking
numerous measures. xiii
On the international level, too, ETH Zurich has embedded its Net
Zero target into joint initiatives. In 2021, it became a signatory
to the global «Race to Zero campaign». xiv As such, it has joined
the struggle for rapid and fair emissions reductions in all areas
in line with the Paris Agreement, including transparent plans
for action and realistic goals that are achievable in the short
term. An ETH Zurich Net Zero action plan is currently under development.
This will be a flexible planning tool with which ETH
Zurich can position itself in a changing environment and make
a contribution without losing sight of the overarching goal: the
entire University’s systematic development for a climate-neutral
future.
«Where the future begins» – ETH students, researchers, staff,
and alumni are doing everything in their power to ensure that
the University lives up to its own standards, including its quest
to achieve Net Zero emissions. •
© ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella
Methodology of Scope 3 accounting
The first Scope 3 accounting was based on a combination of
two methodological approaches. On the one hand, monetary
expenditures («spend-based») on various goods and services
were multiplied by the GHG intensity of the respective
industry sectors, based on environment-related input and
output tables (environmental IOT). On the other hand, physical
activity data was collected for specific emissions sources
(commuting, business travel, and catering) and multiplied
by emissions factors that had been determined via life cycle
assessment data. An updated Scope 3 accounting using the
latest data is currently being prepared and should be available
at the end of 2022.
«Striving for a climate neutral
ETH Zurich is a must.»
Joël Mesot, ETH Zurich President

pfc NF
CO S CH 4
sf 6 N 2
O hfc S
3
2
Scope 2
Indirect
Scope 3
Indirect
Scope 1
Direct
Scope 3
Indirect
purchased
electricity,
steam, heating
& cooling
for own use
leased assets
employee
commute
business
travel
company
facilities
company
vehicles
transportation
& distribution
processing of
sold products
purchased
goods & services
capital goods
fuel & energy
related
transportation
& distribution
waste from
operations
use of
sold products
end-of-life treatment
of sold products
leased
assets
franchises
investments
Upstream activities
ETH Zurich
Downstream activities
Figure 4: GHG emissions are separated into Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
The greenhouse gases CO 2
, CH 4
, N 2
O, HFC S
, PFC S
, SF 6
, NF 3
are offset and generally listed in tonnes of CO 2
equivalents (tCO 2
eq).
i
ETH Zurich Strategy and Development Plan 2021-2024: https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/eth-zurich/portraet/Strategie/ETH_SEP_21-24_EN_Web.pdf
ii
Media release Klimapaket Bundesverwaltung, 3.7.2019: https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-75697.html
iii
Terms
such as climate neutrality can be vague and require clarification. Glossaries and articles like these provide orientation:
https://racetozero.unfccc.int/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Race-to-Zero-Lexicon.pdf ; https://www.klimafakten.de/meldung/die-grosse-begriffsverwirrungbei-klimazielen-klimaneutral-co2-neutral-voellig-egal
iv
ETH
Spin-offs: https://ethz.ch/en/industry/entrepreneurship/explore-startup-portraits-and-success-stories/uebersicht-eth-spin-offs.html
v
ETH
Air Travel project: https://ethz.ch/airtravel;
selected ETH initiatives: https://usys.ethz.ch/en/department/co2-projekte--carbon-tax-.html; https://www.phys.ethz.ch/the-department/sustainability.html
vi
International Alliance of Research Universities: https://www.iaruni.org/sustainability
vii
International Sustainable Campus Initiative: https://international-sustainable-campus-network.org/
viii
Developing
a campus: https://ethz.ch/en/campus/development.html; https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/campus/campus-entwickeln/bauprojekte/
richtlinien/allgemein/2021_01_RL_Nachhaltigkeit.zip
ix
ETH Sustainable Gastronomy: https://ethz.ch/sustainable-gastronomy/
x
Greenhouse Gas Protocol: https://ghgprotocol.org/
xi
Sustainability
Report 2019/2020: https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/sustainability/context/nachhaltigkeitsbericht.html; Annual Report 2021:
https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/portrait/information-material/annual-report-2021.html
xii
Media release ETH Board, 15.7.2022: https://ethrat.ch/en/eth-board-develops-strategic-areas-in-the-fields-of-sustainability-and-dialogue-with-society/
xiii
Media
release economiesuisse, 10.7.2022: https://www.economiesuisse.ch/de/artikel/mit-tatendrang-zum-klimastandort-schweiz?utm_
xiv
Race to Zero – Universities and Colleges: https://www.educationracetozero.org/home